Mark Torpey is the sports editor of The Enterprise and The Patriot Ledger, and this is our all-sports blog. Use it as a jumping off point for our sport-specific blogs on Boston pro teams, or stay right here and talk about high school and college
...

Mark Torpey is the sports editor of The Enterprise and The Patriot Ledger, and this is our all-sports blog. Use it as a jumping off point for our sport-specific blogs on Boston pro teams, or stay right here and talk about high school and college sports and other topics.

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Nov. 29, 2012
12:01 a.m.

We begin this week with at tribute to a coaching legend.

His name is John Gagliardi, and this 86-year-old northern icon, just retired, after 60 years as the head man of St. John’s, a Division III school in Minnesota.

He is America’s all-time winningiest college football coach: 489-139-11, eclipsing Grambling’s Eddie Robinson.

He is also the first active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame – 2006.

Here are some of his fanciful and eccentric coaching techniques:

No practicing if there are too many gnats. (Sounds reasonable to me.)

He also had his famous list of “No Rules.”

He did not allowing tackling during practice. He had no team captains, or cheerleaders.

He never used a whistle, and players had strict orders to call him John, instead of coach.

“I eliminate the unnecessary, and I think almost everything is unnecessary,” he said.

He was 26 years old when his hired at St. John’s. The outgoing coach, Johnny “Blood” McNally, left with these parting words for the 4-time championship coach;

“Nobody could ever win at St. John’s.” He obviously didn’t know John Gagliardi.

On this final weekend of college football, let’s see which teams need some more practice tackling, and which, swarm the opposition, like a bunch of voracious gnats.

When the scrambler takes to the sky, wideouts Kenny Bell, and Quincy Enunwa, are comforting ports in the storm.

The D behind disrupting end Eric Martin (16 tfls – 8.5 sacks), and backer Will Compton, aren’t vintage Black Shirt, but have become much more cohesive during the streak.

We like the Huskers, by a nose, to capture its first conference championship.

Pitt at South Florida (ESPN2, 7 p.m.) We selected this game instead of the woeful ACC Championship Game; (6-6 Georgia Tech versus Florida State), because we think this is a better story.

Pitt started the season 0-2, including a loss to a Division 1AA team, and literally looked like one of the worst teams in the country.

But since then, newly minted Coach Paul Chryst has given the faithful a glimpse of what the future may look like.

If Pitt wins its final regular season game in the Big East, it will go bowling.

If that should happen, it would be a great sendoff to a pair of classy seniors; QB Tino Sunseri, and tailback Ray Graham, who have battled through injuries, and unnecessary, and absurd, coaching changes.

These kids are the epitome of Pitt toughness, and perseverance, and are deserving of wearing the Panther uniform for one more game before graduation.

The improving offense is directed by Sunseri (18 touchdown passes – 2 interceptions) who is riding the nation’s longest streak of 245 passes, without a pick.

The talented Graham, 52 yards shy of 1000, and his sidekick, freshman tailback Rushel Shell, are the pistons in the Panther attack.

When Pitt’s field general airs it, wideouts; Mike Shanahan, and Devin Smith are capable of making Ringling Brothers worthy catches.

The D led by tackle Aaron Donald (14.5 tfls-4.5 sacks), and backer Shane Gordon, is in the top 25 in almost every category, allowing 21 points a game.

Unlike his dad, the Bulls faithful will not be erecting a statue to Coach Skip Holtz anytime soon.

In fact, Skip may be forced to skip town, when the USF debacle of a season comes to a merciful end on Saturday evening.

South Florida is a bottom feeding 98th in scoring (22 pts), and third from the bottom in turnover margin; minus-15, a statistic that will not win you many games.